By Samindra Kunti
March 15 – The former president of the Brazilian FA (CBF), Ricardo Teixeira, is fighting what appears to be a losing battle against the parliamentary inquiry (CPI) led by senator Romario into corruption in Brazilian football. His request to protect bank secrecy has been denied.
Ricardo Teixeira was once one of world football’s biggest power brokers. The Brazilian had a seat on the FIFA executive committee and headed the local organising committee of the 2014 Brazil World Cup. In March 2012 he resigned from all his footballing roles, citing ill-health.
Brazilian authorities began investigating Teixeira for various alleged crimes, including tax evasion and money laundering, and he fled to Miami. Last year the US Department of Justice also indicted Teixeira in the continuing corruption case focused on the global game.
Teixeira was also heavily implicated in the infamous ISL scandal with the Swiss prosecutor’s report revealing that, during his tenure on the FIFA executive committee, he and his one-time father-in-law, ex-FIFA President Joao Havelange, took more than $41 million in bribes in connection with the award of World Cup marketing rights.
Recently Romario and his inquiry have turned on the heat and Teixeira appealed at the Superior Tribunal Federal (STF) to impede the CPI from gaining access to his bank and fiscal details. Edson Fachin, the high judge of the STF, denied Texeira’s appeal, according to Brazilian newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo.
Teixeira argued that he wanted to avoid Romario doing anything ‘illegal or abusive’ with his details. Teixeira implied that the obtained information might be leaked to the press and the general public. The STF had already approved the breaking of the sigils last December.
Contact the writer of this story at moc.l1713549845labto1713549845ofdlr1713549845owedi1713549845sni@n1713549845osloh1713549845cin.l1713549845uap1713549845